Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy made his bid for Louisiana’s Senate seat official on Wednesday morning, releasing a video announcement that serves as both a primer on Cassidy’s personal story as well as an attack on his opponent, Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXEaRTNncV0&feature=player_embedded

Seated alongside his wife Laura, a breast cancer surgeon, Cassidy seeks to defend his conservative record in the announcement spot, and highlight Landrieu's support of President Barack Obama's policies, including Obama's 2009 health care overhaul, which remains deeply unpopular in the state.

“As a family, we have decided that I will run for the United States Senate in the election held November 2014 and it’s going to be a tough race,” Cassidy says in the announcement video. “I’m running against Senator Mary Landrieu who’s been there for 18 years and against the most powerful man in the world, Barack Obama.”

Tying Landrieu to Obama is the GOP’s strategy in this race, as Obama lost Louisiana by more than 15 percentage points in 2012.

“President Obama wants Senator Landrieu re-elected,” Cassidy goes on to say. “She supports President Obama 97 percent of the time, and has given him a blank check for his wasteful spending.”

Cassidy’s entrance into the race marks the official start of what’s expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races this cycle, as the GOP attempts to unseat Landrieu in their quest for the Senate majority.

He is the first Republican to announce his candidacy in the Pelican State Senate race. Republican Rep. John Fleming and former GOP Rep. Jeff Landry are still considering entering the contest.